The Mark
by Allora Lang-LeBeau
Summary: Post-Ep.26. The trio is reunited after five years, but how long will it last for Mugen and Jin? Fang marks, vampires, witches, thirst for blood, a dangerous curse, and countless enemies come to hunt them down...Surviving this will not be easy.
1. Selection One

**Author's Note: **Welcome to Suzuka Studios' first official Samurai Champloo fanfic, _The Mark_! Bram Stoker, eat your heart out. Okay, so this is one of my fanfics that has met the same fate as many others–fallen by the wayside due to school and massive writer's block. But worry not! Having scoured GAIA Games, I finally found a fellow Samurai Champloo fan willing to role play a decent chapter. So, here goes nothing.

**Warnings:** If there are any of you out there that are hardcore SamCham fans, this may not be your absolute favorite, as there will be some understandable OOC, but we will try our best not to fail you. Also, be forewarned, there will be a little bit of violence (this is, after all, a vampire fic) and minimal, if any, cursing.

**Credits: **This fic was conceived by Allora Lang-LeBeau and created through roleplay with the help of GaiaOnline member ayaichigo15.

**Disclaimer: **We do not own Samurai Champloo, or the characters therein. We do, however, own Anna, Margali, and Lady Sabella.

**Recommended listenings:** "The Autumn Effect" album by 10 Years, specifically the Piano Version of "The Autumn Effect".

**The sad part: **I did a search on Samurai Champloo fics with the keyword "vampire" and found one result. TT-TT

* * *

_~: by fire . . . as starlight through the hourglass . . . :~_

**SELECTION ONE**

Despite that the sun was shining as brightly as ever, and just as cheerfully as all who knew it, a cold wind swept over the land, pulling the changing autumn leaves from their branches. The summer season had been considerably dry that year, but the reward was given in dazzling beauty. Rather than the drab, ugly, dismal gray-brown they normally were, the leaves cascaded down in the most vibrant reds, yellows, oranges, and coppers, and painted the ground like an artist's canvas.

It was in this case, and few others, that death could be seen as beautiful.

It gave the young woman something to think about as she looked out the window, finally awake from her slumber after training for the night. After a few moments of pondering, she closed the window and changed into her kimono, which was a rich copper with brown and orange maple leaves, and a dark brown obi with copper inlay. It was different from her normal ensemble, but it was no longer the season to wear spring colors, and her lover had given this one to her as a gift. So she wore it, enjoying how it looked on her as she primped and preened herself in front of the full-length mirror.

"Beautiful," she said to herself, pinning her hair in its usual loose ponytail, then went into the kitchen and began to cook herself some breakfast.

Ah, memories . . . Such a beautiful thing. She found herself reviewing them in her mind as she began grilling some fish to put with her rice. There had been times she had to wonder whether or not most of those memories were real, seeing how strange and complicated they were, but she knew for a fact that they were all real. Crossing from one part of Japan to another, being attacked, kidnapped, assaulted, sold to a brothel of all things, watching her father being killed right in front of her . . . The list went on and on and on, and on top of all that, she was the only thing that kept the two she was traveling with from killing each other.

But that had been, near as she could recall, five years ago.

They had all split up after their journey, and now had their own lives. One was off on his usual adventures somewhere, she was here--just north of Edo, on a spacious property decorated with trees, and even a hot spring not far off, and the third . . .

"Hello, Fuu."

The girl let out a short scream of surprise, barely managing to keep from knocking something over as she whirled around. But then she sighed in relief. It was only Jin, her lover of four years.

"Where'd you come from?" she asked, trying to slow her racing heart. _I didn't even hear him come in!_

"Ah, I had an early start . . . I spent most of the morning meditating."

"Pfft. That's so like you, Jin--always leaving and going places before I even get up!"

She looked up at him again. He was just as she had remembered him from so long ago--that same dark hair tied in that same style, with that same blue-gray _haori_ and _hakama_, those same thin-rimmed glasses, and those same swords tied at his waist. Perhaps the only thing different about him, besides his somewhat older appearance, was his eyes; sure he always had that sort of stoic expression, but his eyes held a more prominent smile, now that they were together once again.

"So would you like some food?"

Jin shook his head. "I'm not really hungry, but thanks."

With a blink, Fuu simply shrugged. "Okay then . . . So, umm, what are we going to do today?" She didn't receive an answer, so she kept talking as she put the finished rice in a bowl along with the grilled fish and knelt at the table. "First I wanted to go and take a bath, 'cause I just feel really nasty from last night, with all that training . . . Umm, after that how about we take a walk or something?"

She waited again for an answer, but again, none came. When she turned around to try and ask him again, she saw that he was more pensive than usual, his normally smiling eyes now set in total concentration as they scanned the room. It was as though he were waiting for something to happen, anticipating some sort of danger . . .

"Jin? What's wrong?" No response. "Hey! Jin!"

He finally looked up. "Huh?"

"I asked what's wrong. You totally spaced out just now."

"Oh. Sorry . . ." He cleared his throat and pushed his glasses further up onto the bridge of his nose. "I was just thinking about Mugen. We haven't seen him in a while, have we?"

As she thought about the question, she stuffed a bit of rice into her mouth. Then she answered, "No we haven't seen him in a long time, not since we split up. Last thing i heard about him was that he was somewhere around the capital. Him and his adventures . . . I swear."

Jin laughed lightly. "Well, I suppose we'll see him sooner or later."

They were silent for a minute or two as Fuu continued eating. Ah, memories. . . . Mugen was always the one that infuriated her the most. Loud, rude, brash, selfish, and not to mention somewhat stupid, he would always find one way or another to get under her fingernails like that one grain of sand that goes in deeper than all the others. Most of the time it was on purpose, which made it even worse. Still, she had to admit, he was still a pretty good friend . . . when he wanted to be.

"Yeah . . ." Fuu said at last. "I guess it would be good to--"

A loud noise from somewhere outside, cutting her off; someone nearby had screamed in agony. Fuu dropped her bowl of food and jumped up. Jin must have heard it, too, because he immediately went to the open window, almost seeming panic-stricken.

"Jin, I think that, that was a person!"

Jin listened intently. "I know that voice . . ."

Fuu was flabbergasted. "What? Who is--?" Then she knew . . . "Oh no . . . We have to go find him, Jin! Now, before something terrible happens!"

With that, Fuu raced out the door towards where they had heard the cry. Jin followed right behind her, shielding his eyes from the bright sun with his hand; she thought it was strange when she saw him do it, but thought nothing else of it--it was bright outside after all, especially that time of day. Besides, they had more pressing matters at hand, so it was quickly forgotten.

At last, after running for what seemed like almost ten minutes, they found him, sprawled out on the ground like a rag doll, completely unconscious. He appeared somewhat different from before, but it only took one glance to tell it was him.

"Mugen . . .?" Jin called out gently, then down beside him and placed two fingers on his neck.

"Oh, no, now what happened to him?" After the shock wore off, reason took over. "We should get him inside, now!"

"His pulse is strong. But you're right. We need to move quickly." As he attempted to lift him, Jin heard a light groan escape the man's throat. "Mugen, are you all right?"

He groaned again. "What the blazes . . . ?"

Fuu interrupted. "Guys, I think you can save the questions for later. We just really need to get inside!"

With a nod, Jin then took him back to their home and laid him onto a set of bed quilts. As he did, Fuu gave Mugen a once-over, looking for any visible injuries, and was somewhat startled at how much he had changed since they had last saw him. His hair was longer, almost chin-length, and had a jagged, layered look to it. He was no longer scrawny and wire-thin as he had been before, but had a more muscular and angular build. At a second glance, she could see a patch of facial hair just under his lower lip. It was no exaggeration to say that, on her looking closer at him, she could barely recognize him. The only clues that told he was still the same person were his clothes--an open red shirt over a sand-colored singlet and dark pants cut off at the knees and tied with red string--and the tell-tale tattoos on his wrists and ankles--harsh stripes of blue over his tan skin.

Needless to say, it unnerved her, but it was nothing compared to what happen next, when Mugen suddenly gave a sharp yelp and tightly grasped the side of his neck.

She let out a gasp. "Mugen what's wrong?"

"Ahh . . . There's something on my neck . . ." He slowly moved his hand away so they could look at it, revealing two identical puncture wounds over his jugular vein about one inch apart.

Her eyes immediately widened, and paled at the thoughts of what sort of hellish nightmares caused those wounds. She turned to her lover. "Jin . . . what is that? W-why would anyone do that to a person? It . . . That just looks so. . . ." She tried to finish her sentence, but couldn't. Sickness began to take hold, and her pale skin took on a tint of green.

Jin held her close for a moment. "It's all right, Fuu . . . Just take deep breaths." He turned back to Mugen. "I'll take care of that in a moment."

Thinking of nothing else to do, Fuu listened to Jin and took a few long, deep breaths. The ill feeling in her stomach soon passed and she was able to speak again, and the first thing she said was, "Jin do you know anything about those marks on Mugen?"

He shook his head in response.

"Oh. Um, okay." _It's just . . . I thought I saw similar marks on Jin, just not as gory_ . . . "Well, is there anything I can do?"

"Whatever you can . . ." he answered simply.

"What in the blazes--?" Mugen stared at them oddly, realizing what was happening. "Oh, that is just _gross!_"

Jin glared back at him. "What?"

"You and Fuu are . . . _together?!_"

Both Jin and Fuu's faces flushed red. "Shut up, Mugen, we're the ones trying to help you!" she barked as she went over to the fire and put on some water to boil. Jin, meanwhile, tended to Mugen's wounds, intentionally applying more pressure than necessary.

"OW!!! Ease up, willya?! It was a freakin' joke!" Mugen fumed at them. "Jeez, act like I just threatened your lives, why don't ya?"

"Well it's a joke that we're helping you, too!" She brought over the hot water and a cloth to wipe his wounds. "Now hold still before I start to threaten your life, or worse--open your wounds again!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah . . . I just wish I knew how they got there . . ." he rubbed the back of his head.

Jin stared blankly at him. "You mean . . . you don't remember?"

Fuu was doing the same thing. "You don't know who attacked you?"

He shook his head. "If anyone at all . . . It's almost like last night never happened or something."

_What does that mean?_ "Mugen when did you stop remembering what happened last night?"

He shrugged. "I'd tell you if I knew . . ."

Fuu growled at him. "You always do that! Just tell me what's the last thing that you remember!"

"Shut up!" Mugen's sudden yell only furthered his pain. "I told you . . . I would if I could. What is your problem anyway?"

"Yeah right . . ." Fuu got up and walked out of the room.

"Stay here," Jin said to Mugen as he followed after Fuu. He sighed as he saw her tearing up pieces of paper and muttering under her breath. "Fuu . . . I don't think he was lying."

Fuu stopped ripping after hearing Jin. "Well . . . I don't care! I mean, he just annoys me so much, I can't even be nice to him when he's hurt!"

"He means well." He paused. "I think."

She scoffed. "Yeah right, he's just a jerk as always." She stuck out her lip in a stubborn pout, which Jin had to admit made her look adorable in most ways.

"Well . . ." Jin sighed, pulling her into a loose embrace. "It's also hard for him to admit when he needs help. He'll push it away at best. You've seen how he is. We can't really hold it against him."

"I guess you're right, as usual," she said with a sigh, leaning into the embrace. It was moments like these that reminded her of what made her love Jin so much. After another moment, she spoke again. "I think we should go back to check on Mugen."

Jin looked back into the room . . . and groaned out in annoyance. "Scratch that . . . I'm going to kill him!" He released Fuu and stalked away from the door, revealing an empty bedroom.

"Not if I get to him first!"


	2. Selection Two

_~: into the darkest reaches of space and time . . . :~_

**SELECTION TWO**

"And this time, if you even move from this spot, I'll rip your throat out," Jin said as he shoved Mugen back down onto his bed quilts. It had taken them almost an hour to find him, and they were simply not happy now.

"Jeez . . . I just needed some fresh air." Mugen's eyes widened when he saw Jin scowling at him again. "Got it."

"Jin, he's not staying here!" Fuu shouted as she stalked back into the room.

Jin sighed, pressing a hand against his right temple. "Does he have a choice?"

"Yes he can sleep outside! He shouldn't care, he's an animal anyways!" She put more water over the fire. "If he even tries to come in, we'll just chain him up!"

"What if he is attacked again?"

Fuu relented. "Fine, he can sleep in the house . . . But he has to sleep on the other side of it! And also under a ton of bricks of possible!"

"Will you shut up?!" Mugen shouted, then gave a strangled cry as he gripped his head in agony. "Ugh . . . Both of you, just leave me alone . . . I feel like my body's on fire . . ."

"Oh . . . I'm sorry Mugen. I've been yelling at you even though you're hurt!" She knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry . . . You okay?"

"Fuu, could you get him some water, please?" Jin asked. "I'll check his wounds."

"Umm . . ." She was quiet for a moment, then got up. "Yeah, I'll go do that."

Mugen turned away from them. "No thanks."

Fuu stopped, getting angry again. _Just keep your temper . . ._ "Fine, then I won't. Just don't ask for it later, or I'll make you get it yourself. Sound fair?"

Mugen exhaled slowly and closed his eyes. "I just want to sleep . . ."

"Alright . . . Jin let's leave him to sleep. Come on we have things we need to do, like laundry."

Jin nodded, following after her.

But his anger with Mugen had only been a front, and one he didn't feel he could hold up for much longer, so he let it slip, his expression turning solemn. "Just be patient with him. He's been through a lot lately."

He was silent for a moment, already regretting what he was about to say.

"A girl he loved, a woman named Anna Iordache . . . killed herself."

There. He said it. The one secret he had been harboring for all of their sakes was out, and he couldn't take it back. He knew he should have told her as soon as he had learned of it, but instead--curse his overprotective nature--he had kept it to himself, and now he could only watch as her eyes widened to be impossibly large from the sheer shock of it. Now he truly did regret it.

"What . . . ?!" she gasped. "When did this happen? And when did you find out?"

"When he was in the capital . . . And his friend told me. You remember him, don't you?"

Fuu took a moment to take in what she had heard. "Wait . . . So it was the last time that we--or at least I--heard about him. But that was a while ago. He never got over it?"

"He probably couldn't if he tried . . . I was told she was very beautiful. She was a dancer from Romania, traveling with a gypsy caravan. She and Mugen met after one of her performances, and their hearts took over from then on. They were very much in love, and . . ." He took a deep breath and added, "He saw it happen. The whole thing."

"Oh no." She started to tear up. "How could I be so mean? I didn't even know what he was going through! I should have at least talked to him before I started yelling at him!"

"I'm sorry . . . I should have told you." He gently kissed her on her forehead and hugged her.

"No . . . It's not your fault. You knew I would react like this so you spared my feelings," she said as she hugged him back tightly.

"I'm glad that you understand . . ."

Fuu gave a contented sigh, still holding tight and relaxing in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder. "I just don't want to let you go, Jin . . . I'm afraid that you'll leave again."

"I would never." He released her from the embrace. "Come now. There is much to be done."

". . . Yeah . . . Let's get things finished . . ." She was slightly let down; she wanted to stay like that for just a little bit longer, but losing his warmth made her remember that Mugen was still there.

* * *

His sleep had been far from peaceful since they left him alone. But instead of the usual haunting ghosts of his beloved's death, images that he couldn't understand flooded his mind, terrifying even to him, and he found himself unable to wake. Creatures hiding in the darkness, demons with long claws and the cruelest of fangs torturing and tormenting him . . . He could almost taste the blood being poured into his mouth . . . but he did not--_could_ not--spit it out. The taste was sharp and bittersweet, like sugarcane laced with iron . . . intoxicating, like sweet sake and cold steel.

A strangled cry escaped him as he thrashed wildly, only to realize he had woken up. He gave a long, drawn-out exhale to calm himself, shivering from the cold that touched his skin. _How was I asleep? Man . . . I feel like I've been tied down with lead or somethin'._

At the same time, Fuu was just walking by the room that Mugen was sleeping in. She could hear his struggle inside, so she went to check up on him. He was in a pitiful state--he had sweat all over him and could barely relax. Saying that he was shaken from his nightmares was a safe guess, so she allowed her instincts to take command and took up a cool rag and wiped off his brow.

But as she did, he immediately grasped her wrist and pushed her hand away. "Please stop . . . It's too cold." His voice was more tired than it had been before. "Ugh . . . That's one dream that's gonna keep me up tonight."

"Sorry. I'll put it over the fire so it's not so cold, but I have to clean you up some, you're sweating all over." She turned away and put the rag near the burning embers. "Ah, well, better than what else it could be . . . So, you wanna talk about the dream you had?"

He shook his head. "Not really. I might make myself sick if I do."

"Oh it was that bad?" she paused for a moment and when he didn't answer she continued "You know, when we all were separated, I had nightmares that I would be alone for the rest of my life, but then Jin came back. And I don't think that I've ever been happier in my life."

"Yeah . . ." Mugen exhaled sadly. "It's always good to have someone, even for a short time . . ."

Fuu picked up the rag again. "Mugen, I'm going to wipe off the sweat now, unless you think you're strong enough to do it yourself." She offered the rag to him, but he didn't appear to be listening. "Hey, Mugen, are you alright?" She touched his shoulder lightly.

"Just thinking about someone."

"Oh . . ." She didn't ask if it was about Anna Iordache, because that would have given hint that Jin had told her and most likely made him angry. "Well, here's the rag." She gently set it on his head.

His response was to take the rag and turn away from her, wiping away the remaining sweat from his face, as well as a few traces of tears from his eyes. Needless to say, Fuu was stunned by what she was seeing--Mugen, of all people, actually crying--but she didn't push the matter, since it was obvious he didn't want anyone--especially her least of all--to know about it. She just decided to keep the matter to herself. For all she knew, he could have just stifled a yawn anyway, since he had been asleep for so long. Or he could have gotten some kind of dust in his eye, since they couldn't really do anything while he was in the room to clean up. Still, it was unnerving.

Fuu sighed. "All right, Mugen, I'm gonna leave now. You need your rest and I won't keep it from you." She turned away and walked out the door, closing it behind her.

Jin looked up from his chores. "What happened?"

"What do you mean--Oh. Well, nothing really, he just had a bad dream is all." She paused for a moment. "It's just that Mugen is acting kind of strange, you know? Like his body's here but not his mind. I guess that it can't be helped, with all that he's been through."

He nodded. "I would die before I saw you get hurt."

"Yeah, but where would that leave me? If you died, I think that I would follow you." She smiled sadly.

"Let's not think about that now," he said with an encouraging smile, kissing her forehead again.

"Yeah." She tried smiling, too, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Let's take a nap or something. These last few hours have tired me out." As if on cue, she let out a tired yawn.

"I was actually about to go out for a walk. You take all the time you need." He kissed her again.

"Okay," she said with a smile, and then went to their room and curled under some blankets. "Just make sure your back before I wake up again." She paused another moment. "I love you," she whispered.

He nodded to her before walking outside. "And I love you . . ."

Jin then closed the door, and as soon as he was sure he was out of sight, he sprinted into the woods where they found Mugen. He had to find out . . . Was _that one _the person behind those marks? There had to be some hint--left, right, above, in the ground, somewhere. He searched hard, eyes wide and alert, ears reacting to the slightest sound. There was no question; he couldn't stop until he found it, that was all there was to it!

A lone rabbit crossed his sight nearby, and he felt hunger gnawing at his stomach. No! There was no time. If there was any hint at all, he needed to focus, find it, before he lost it. His eyes kept going back to the rabbit . . . The hunger grew stronger . . . No! He needed to concentrate. There had to be something there.

Concentrate . . .

The rabbit was right there . . . just waiting . . .

No! He needed to focus . . .

Focus . . .

Find it . . .

Any hint at all . . .

So hungry . . .

"Forgive me . . ."

He lashed out, grabbing the animal and snapping its neck in a single swift motion. The poor rabbit made no sound as he did. That comforted him somewhat--at least its death had been quick, and bore no pain with it. With that knowledge, he exhaled hard, a pair of razor-sharp, wolflike fangs sliding down from his gums. Then, with no other thought in his mind, Jin sank them deep into the rabbit's skin . . .

And began to drink.


	3. Selection Three

**Author's Note:** Sorry this is so long in coming! Geh . . . But a lot has been going on. School started up-Conversational Japanese (ftw!) and . . . I had to drop American Sign Language (Vic Mignogna is gonna kill me), so that's got me stressed out. Plus my brother and his girlfriend have set a wedding date for May of 2012 (no, 2012 is NOT when the Apocalypse is coming-anyone who says they know when that happens should just shut up), and that's gotten me depressed because I don't even have a boyfriend anymore. Stress = MASSIVE writer's block. I'll make it up to you, though, with a heaping helping of romance and (wait for it . . .) romantic tension.

Also, on a side note . . . Is there anyone out there that can tell me how the heck to pronounce "Iordache"? It's been bugging me since I started using it, 'cause I don't feel like I can really get the story unless I know for sure. Ginpei Sato, seiyū for Jin, said the following: "If you aren't completely into your character, you can't read the script correctly." The same can be said for writing. So please . . . help? "Reveka Serbanescu" (appears later in the fic) seems a little more straightforward, so I'm not worried about that one.

More sad news-Still only one other vampire fanfic under Samurai Champloo.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own SC, except Anna, Margali, and Lady Sabella (Reveka).

**Recommended listenings:** The DECEMBERUNDERGROUND album by AFI; the Seventh Heaven album by Kalafina.

**Warning:** This part gets a little . . . tricky.

* * *

_~: with the sweet taste of jasmine and cyanide on her lips . . . :~_

SELECTION THREE

Jin returned just as the sun painted the sky with its last traces of golden light, joining the sleeping Fuu in their comfortable room. He felt utterly defeated-How could he have let himself slip like that? Now he had returned with nothing-not a single hint. The wind had covered that person's scent with the sweet, raw smells of loose soil, leaves, and smoke from distant wood fires, obscuring any trace of any tracks as it did. What a cruel irony-the beauty that was supposed to be the autumn season created a barrier to him . . . And somewhere, that person was watching, laughing, _mocking_ his plight from the shadows - It frustrated him to no physical end!

However, even he couldn't help but feel better when Fuu stirred awake and welcomed his return with a beautiful smile. In that one moment, nothing else mattered to him, and he was content.

But tragically, it was not to last, for there was a knock at the front door a mere moment later. Dreading terribly what was in store, Jin walked back where he had just come and went outside, closing the door behind him.

Fuu was certainly awake now!

She could hear her lover's voice, and another that she only vaguely recognized; she quickly got dressed and tried to get a better listen, but her efforts clearly had no payoff. It would have helped if Mugen stopped his groaning and writhing in the next room-_How sick is he really?-_-and the birds stopped their incessant chirping so close to nightfall - _Do they never sleep?_ - Shut up, shut up, shut _up!_

This continued for another hour altogether, but no matter how she tried, she could not pick out even half of their conversation. But then, as if that wasn't bad enough, they stopped talking! She had missed everything! Sighing, she begrudgingly moved away from the wall, straightening her kimono for when Jin came back. No doubt, he would be upset if he knew she had been trying to listen.

When he returned to the room, however, his expression was different. The smile she knew so well was gone, even in his eyes, which seemed brighter than they should have.

"Jin? What's wrong?"

He responded with a sigh. "It was another one of my students - Nobu. He said he's quitting, too." He sullenly set a small wooden sword on a small shelf, just above two others. "Now that's three that I've lost."

"Nobu . . ." she repeated, a worried tone in her voice, and with good reason. All Jin had ever talked about when he returned was having his own kenjutsu dojo, and just when he finally did, his dream was fading faster than the green in the leaves. "Do you think that any more will quit?"

"Who's to say? But I can't say that I blame them. Medicine is quite expensive."

"Yeah, but so is keeping this place up." She sighed sadly. "I guess this is what they mean when they say that even the mighty are falling . . . These times aren't hard only for us, are they?"

"No, I suppose not." Jin quietly opened Mugen's bedroom door, finding him still writhing and groaning, but otherwise asleep.

She followed behind Jin to look at Mugen as well. "I guess . . . that means I really should put our past behind us. Because even if I don't like him that much, it doesn't mean that he doesn't need our help."

"Actually, he is quite fond of you. It's just harder to see is all." He laughed a bit. "It's something he and I have in common."

"_What?_" Saying Fuu was shocked would most certainly have been an understatement. "You mean _he_ is fond of me? I don't get it! It's easy to see that _you're_ fond of me! But Mugen . . . . He doesn't seem to be fond of _anyone!_"

She received a reproachful glance from her lover.

"But he's so mean!"

"That's true . . ." Jin carefully removed the rag over Mugen's forehead and replaced it with another, somehow managing not to wake him. "Then again, it is hard for him to connect with people. Keep in mind . . . he lived a hard life before he met us. And also . . . losing Anna . . ."

"Yeah . . ." Fuu could not help but break a little inside-not felling pity for Mugen, but real, genuine sorrow for what he had to go through. First growing up in Ryukyu of all places, with no family, then betrayed by his closest friends and sent to prison, and then the event with Sara . . . Small wonder he seemed so broken now.

At last, Jin stood and left the room. "So then . . . What do you want to do now?"

"Huh? Um . . . okay, you're asking me what I want to do... I don't know." she said in a blank stare

"Well, it's getting late . . . Perhaps we could go for a walk together and look at the stars. If you want to. I don't mean to sound so boring-"

She smiled gently, cutting him off. "I'd love to."

* * *

Fuu seemed oblivious to everything while she walked with Jin, save for only his kisses and the moon hanging in the sky-pale, and bright considering what limited light it gave, washing everything out into gray and bluish hues. Still, even in the world of gray, in each other's eyes, they seemed just as vibrant as they did in the brightest sunlight. And they could still see how even more vibrant they seemed when the two of them were in the hot spring not a half-hour before, their naked bodies locked in tender, passionate embraces as his lips trailed down to her chest . . .

Okay, so it had been a _little_ more than a walk. Just a little. But now it was too dark to stay out much longer, so now they were dressed and returning home for the night. Jin sighed, feeling content; it had been the perfect ending.

". . . Hey, Jin . . . Do you smell something funny?"

What he saw at that exact same moment nearly dropped him to the ground.

_Goddess of the North Wind . . .!_

He had left the rabbit corpse _in plain sight!_ So much for perfection . . .

"No," he quickly lied, even though he did smell it far stronger than she-the strangely disheartening smell of coagulated blood. "Nothing."

"Okay then . . .?"

"Wh-why do you ask?"

"Umm, because I smelled something funny . . . Why do _you_ ask?" She had stopped walking and was now staring incredulously at her lover.

"Just c-curious, th-that's all. I-it's sort of an odd question." _Stop stuttering!_

This matter was quickly becoming dangerous. This situation could have been completely averted if he had just kept his mouth shut, but once again, he had consigned himself to her figurative gallows. He could feel it under her skin with her quickening pulse, and could see it in her eyes like a fire burning over oil.

Now the oil had been splashed with water.

"Then why were you stuttering?" Fuu demanded, her voice rising with each word. "You only stutter when you're hiding something! What are you hiding, Jin?"

"I-I'm not hiding anything!" _Oh, what's the use of lying now . . .?_

"Then why are you acting this way?" She put her hands stubbornly on her hips, started tapping her foot, and looked at him down her nose, so altogether . . . she was a very imposing short woman. "Well? I'm waiting!"

He turned away from her accusing glare, trying to steady his breathing. He wanted to tell her, but he could not. Still, he had to say something - anything at all! He could not let this matter go, or else the girl's heart would surely break.

But just as he was about to answer, a tiny sound came from Fuu, a small "eep" noise as she looked past his shoulder and saw the rabbit's mangled corpse, her eyes suddenly very round. "Jin what is that?"

He took a deep breath. "I found it while I was walking. It frightened me."

"Something . . . frightened you . . .?" Her eyes narrowed. "Jin, is something happening to you? Why are you acting so weird? Where have you been going during the day? You leave for hours and don't even tell me! Why aren't you telling me? And why aren't you telling me about things that are 'frightening' you?"

"I couldn't tell you because I knew how you would react!" He hugged Fuu tightly. "I'm sorry."

"Jin . . ." She pushed him away, still letting him hold her, but only to where she could see his eyes. "What can't you tell me? That there was a dead animal there? Or . . . Or is it something else? Please tell me." Gently, she placed her hands on Jin's elbows. "I'm begging you."

Jin sighed. "I'd rather not talk about it anymore. I can't tell you."

She let her hands slip off at that, and she avoided eye contact with him; that had clearly been the worst thing to say. "Fine then . . . If you don't trust me you don't have to tell me. Let's go home then"

She started back up the path, her head down.

"Fuu, it's not like that-"

"You know," a voice interrupted, causing Fuu's head to snap up. It was Mugen. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say this thing was the work of some kind of . . . demon. Maybe Fuu's being targeted by a jealous _hannya_ . . ."

Had he been in half the mood, Jin would have royally chewed Mugen out for being out of bed _again_, or given a flat-toned "How romantic, trying to scare my woman half to death," or other such witty, sardonic answer. As it was, he could bring himself to do neither.

"What are you talking about? First all these secrets? Then the rabbit? Now _demons?_ None of this is making any sense!" Tears started to pour out of the girl's eyes.

"Oh, you can _not_ think I was being - Fuu, calm down, I was _kidding!_ I don't even believe in that stuff." He scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Ghost stories, if you ask me."

She blinked her tears away, then asked, in the calmest voice she could manage, "Mugen . . . Do you know what Jin's hiding from me?"

"Whatever it is, he has a good reason for it. He's just trying to keep you from getting upset. You know how he is."

"I've lived through you two fighting! I think I might be able to handle it."

"And I think I know what it's like to be in love!" he shouted. "And you know what I can't handle?" He stepped towards her and lowered his voice. "Try when the only person who could ever return your feelings is suddenly ripped away from you. When they're taken where you can't follow, in one way or another, and you know you can never get them back. I've seen what it's like - You regret everything! Every unspoken word, every halfhearted apology, because you know deep in your gut that it's too late to even-"

"W-what are you talking about? You're scaring me! Are you trying to take me away from Jin?" Fuu shrieked, suddenly panicked. "I thought you were in love with someone else-!"

"_Will_ you just _shut up and listen?_"

She immediately shut her mouth, snapping it closed like a clam. Good. Now he could get his point across.

"Fuu, think about it-You know he loves you. One little secret should not be enough for him to feel what I felt when my Anna killed herself." He flinched-_Bad choice of words_. "Don't let it come to that. It'll destroy you both."

The girl stared at him, her expression regretful. "Mugen you should know i would never do something like that. I love him! And he's the only thing that I have that's worth anything to me. Why would I hurt him by doing that?"

"Nice speech and all, but . . . _I'm_ not the one you need to convince." He motioned behind her.

_Oh . . ._ Fuu looked behind her and quickly turned to face her lover, whose expression could only be described in one way: pain.

"Jin . . . I would never do something like that! Don't you at least trust me that much?" She sniffled. "I love you . . ."

Jin approached her and held her again.

She hugged him tightly, then loosened her grip to look at him.

"I promise," Jin said at last. "I won't hide anything else from you."

"But you know you can tell me anything . . . please . . .!"

Mugen exhaled sharply, rubbing under his eyes. "Can we just get back inside? This air's stinging my eyes." A lie, but neither would let on that they knew. "Besides, I think we can all appreciate a little less snogging around here."

Fuu gave her infamous pout.

"_That_ is none of your business!" Jin protested weakly, but then he laughed. "I think you may be right, though. It is getting a little chilly."

"Hmmph!" Furious, she grabbed Jin's hand and rushed past Mugen to the house, wanting as quickly as possible to find out what they were hiding.

"Fuu, what in the world" He stopped talking, understanding from the look in her eyes that the argument was not yet over. His expression turned to upset.

"Jin, I won't hurt you! I love you! And you helped me through my toughest time! I think I owe you something by just accepting what it is your hiding from me! I won't reject you!" She, too, seemed hurt-hurt that he didn't trust her entirely enough to tell her.

"We already freakin' told you, it's personal, okay?" Mugen barked. "Jeez! Stop poking your mousey little nose where it doesn't need to be."

"I want to know! Even you, Mugen, who just randomly pop back into our lives, already know! I know you do, so don't bother saying you don't! I've been with him for _four years!_ And he doesn't tell me! Do you know how much that hurts?"

"'Squeak, squeak, squeak!' Sorry, kid, I don't speak mouse!"

"STOP MAKING FUN OF ME! THAT HURTS, TOO, YOU KNOW!"

Now she was angry. Not just angry, but furious-hysterically so, with a flushed face and no rational thought. Her hand, fragile as it had been, was gripping Jin's so tightly it was that turning pale, and she was not even aware of it. As for Jin himself, the events of the night had slowly been pushing him to the edge of patience and reason. And as the two continued their bickering, and his now lightly blue skin was taking on a numb feeling of a thousand needle pricks, it soon became too much, and he finally reached the breaking point.

"FUU, STOP IT, RIGHT NOW!" Jin shouted, wrenching his hand free.

Mugen stared at him, goggle-eyed. Fuu stopped talking and turned her hurt gaze to her friend-her _lover_. Never in her life had she heard Jin's tone reach such a level.

"You talk of trust . . . But you yourself have yet to give it to either of us." He shook his head and pushed past them, going into his room and gathering up a set of bed quilts before walking out the front door and down the familiar half-mile pathway to the training hall.

". . . Okay . . . That . . . was a little scary . . ." Mugen shook his head. "So, Fuu, you keep any saké around here?"

Fuu simply ran to her room, slamming the door behind her.

". . . Right."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Anyone else confused? Yeah, I know. Definite OOC-ness. To a point. Specifically the Anna factor. And it kinda jumped a little bit. But that's what happened in the RP, even before I changed stuff. It was originally longer, with more craptastic lying and covering and my own half-attempt at creating mythology . . . Geh . . . I am SO glad I improved in that area. So I hope this is at least partially to your liking.

**SELECTION FOUR coming soon!**


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